The proposed 170 million reduction in pharmacy funding in England will be postponed beyond next month, according to UK pharmacy minister David Mowat.
In a pre-recorded address to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society annual conference in Birmingham yesterday, Mowat said the delay would give the Department of Health time to make the "correct decision" for the sector.
The controversial cuts were outlined at the APP2016 conference on the Gold Coast earlier this year (PD 22 Mar), with Ian Strachan, chairman of the National Pharmacy Association slamming proposals such as more 'hub and spoke' dispensing and an extension of prescription duration from 28 to 90 days supply.
The health department has been considering the results of a consultation on pharmacy funding - but since making the initial announcement last Dec Alistair Burt, the minister who initially proposed the cuts, has announced his resignation in the wake of the shock Brexit decision (PD 06 Jul).
New minister Mowat wasn't able to provide more information on what the next steps would be.
"But clearly we will not be implementing a change from October, which was our initial target," he said.
He added he was keen to "work closely with the pharmacy profession," adding there is "no question the sector has a major contribution to make".
The proposals sparked a major campaign in the face of threats by former minister Burt that he was targeting the closure of 3,000 community pharmacies - or about one in four across the country.
More than 1 million people signed a petition against the plan, with Mowat saying the response was "frankly an accolade to the way you are regarded amongst communities".
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